by Sandra Elsa
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The thunderclouds returned to his brow. "Nevertheless, the magic is there. Together we must tame it, though I’m tempted to leave it dormant. Control of so much power is not always a comfortable thing.” He stood and began pacing. His eyes returned to where she sat as he paced, muttering quietly to himself and when he turned she saw him sink into the mild trance she now realized was second-sight. He returned, and stood beside her, looking down.
His cloak brushed her elbow. “I will teach you. You may come to regret that I do so, but you can't rely on luck forever. Sooner or later it will show itself again, and it’s not always a pleasant display.” He walked toward the Lodge then returned to the fire. Pink didn’t understand how anybody could find this less than amazing but Johann seemed to be angry.
Still mumbling to himself he stopped beside her again. “Latent energy often makes itself known in a blaze of sudden uncontrolled power, in correlation to strong emotion. Anger, fear, or pain can bring about some terrible things. Somehow you controlled it with the hound. Even those with training can damage the people and the world about them if something unexpected happens.” He paced to the first Travel Oak and returned. The battle in his mind played out across his face. “Knowing how to gather and use energy often makes the emotional releases worse, but it also makes it less likely to happen if you have control.” He nodded to himself, finalizing the decision in his own mind. “I think we’ll use today to begin training you. I must rest, so there is no time like the present.”
Pink set her plants out on a rock, near the small cookfire to cure them, using the double heat source of sun and flame.
By the time she finished this task Johann composed himself. He bade her sit beside him and close her eyes. His voice betrayed none of his earlier anxiety as he urged her to relax.
“Picture your body getting lethargic, one small part at a time. Concentrate on your toes and put them to sleep then move up to the ball of your foot. When you're completely at ease, look through closed eyes for your aura.”
She concentrated on her toes and tried to empty her mind of what Johann had just told her. But with the news that she had the potential to be a powerful witch, she found concentration beyond her. His cautions reared their ugly heads, only to be dismissed by her excitement at the possibilities this would open up to her. Even her big toe stubbornly refused to go to sleep. Opening her eyes in frustration she saw Johann watching her carefully.
His expression brought home again the fact that this turn of events did not totally delight him. "You must control your mind. Do not let it rule you. If you can't rule your own mind and body, you cannot hope to master the magical forces within yourself.”
She closed her eyes again as he continued speaking. “Seeing your aura is only the first step of a very long trail. You must become familiar with your energy before you can use it"
Her chin dropped to her chest, trying to relax, trying to tune out the distractions of birds and bugs, the heat from the fire, and the whispering of the Travel Oaks. Most difficult of all, she strove to calm her internal distractions. After what seemed like forever her mind quieted. Her feet and legs numbed, going to sleep as she willed them. Excitement at success brought her right back out of it. She opened her eyes again, to discover she had been sitting there for several hours, it was mid-afternoon.
Johann was nowhere to be seen, but the stew, simmering in the pot, smelled delicious. The plants she laid out to dry were curing nicely.
She stood up and was surprised to find that her toes and legs had in fact gone to sleep. Her mental image of them was still wide-awake, but the physical aspect felt as though they were being stabbed with thousands of pins. Carefully, she limped over to the Lodge and through the stone wall.
Johann was rummaging through his belongings. He smiled as she joined him.
She returned the smile, followed by a grimace meant to convey the futility of the day's exercise.
"Went that well did it? Don‘t worry, you'll learn to do these simple exercises with your eyes open, and as you're moving. Nothing worth learning is ever learned in a single day." He pulled a bowl out of his pack, and she went to find hers. For doing nothing all day, she was ravenous.
They ate in silence. With the meal finished, he poured the rest of the stew into one of the glass jars from the Lodge's pantry. The heat, sealed the jar and he grinned at her and said, "See, magic, am I not the greatest wizard you ever met?"
She grinned at his jest, but then said, "As a matter of fact, you are the greatest wizard I've ever met, since you‘re the only wizard I ever met."
"While you were performing that exercise Garec broke the web on the road near the first night’s Lodge. I'm rested. We have time to make some distance and still get off the road before he gets this far.”
Pink shook her head, “Why don’t we just wait ‘til morning. There's no rush.”
“I’m not at all sure I could sleep after doing nothing all day. My friend’s house is before the next Lodge, I'm hoping we'll get there tonight. If not, I've slept on the ground many times, and we have our supper." Pink picked up the drying plants. The ones that finished curing she took down and placed in the Lodge's pantry.
Johann looked at her in amazement. "How did you know the cost of lodging?"
"I didn't, this seemed the correct thing to do. We stayed two nights and had three meals, it only seemed proper to return some."
He smiled approvingly. "The caretakers will be pleased to see you grow into your power. When you can pay in magic they'll receive great gifts."
After packing their belongings Pink led the way to the northward line of Travel Oaks. They strode swiftly toward the distant road, hoping to finish the journey before nightfall.
Twilight darkened around them as they both felt the twinge of the next web breaking. They increased their pace for a time but using wizard’s light would give away their position and without it, the tiny sliver of moon in the sky was insufficient to light their way.
Travel was easier here as the road wound its way to the lower slopes once again, but they would not complete the journey this night. On horseback, Garec could travel much faster than they; Johann decided to call a halt.
Moving off the road, they set up a small fireless camp. The stew had remained warm in the sealed jar. They rapidly ate, and prepared their bedrolls. Without a Lodge for protection they took turns standing watch. Two hours after they stopped, hoofbeats drummed down the road. Pink remained motionless, sweat chilling her back, heart fluttering. Magic was too unfamiliar for her to trust Johann's, "don't notice us" shield with her freedom.
She smelled the lather of the ill-used animals and heard the creak of poorly kept saddles as they raced by without slowing. Cautiously she exhaled, fearing that the rapidly disappearing men might hear even that small sound. As the moon fell towards morning she woke Johann, told him of the riders passing and lay down on her blanket to sleep.
Drifting off, she found herself willing her toes to sleep. Through the fog of exhaustion she felt them respond. She worked her way up her legs, then started on her fingers. When she completely relaxed, and the only thing awake was her mind, she was blinded by the ability to see her own aura.
Many different colors fed into the brilliant white at the core. Earth tones—muted greens, browns, and blues dominated the pattern. Following them outward she saw them connect to the trees and earth and water around her. Glowing with success she allowed her mind to drift off to sleep.
All too soon Johann shook her shoulder. Still basking in her success, she told him what she had done and how her aura had appeared. He smiled at her happiness, then crushed her with the pronouncement, "Now you must learn to do this with distractions, and while wide awake.” He paused and looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. Then asked "You truly saw other colors?"
"The green was strongest, then the blue and brown but yes there were others as well."
He sank into a light trance and focused on her. "I don
't see them when I look at you. I don’t know what they could be. I would guess they are the power of your spirit, the strength of your ancestors.” He shook off the trance. “ Possibly they're just not strong enough for me to see at this time around the glare of your core." They walked back to the road and continued north, constantly prepared to dodge into the forest's concealing embrace if Garec gave up the search and returned.
Chapter 7
